Are you as mad as me about the price gouging?

[pnjkeith]

It's shocking how many economists there are on these message boards.

 

And really, all of these ignorant posts are pretty childish (Obama and Oprah, seriously?)

 

Exactly!

[missdenman]

It's shocking how many economists there are on these message boards. FYI, good business involves more than profit, and supply and demand are not the only factors when it comes to making business decisions.

 

And really, all of these ignorant posts are pretty childish (Obama and Oprah, seriously?) The lady already lost her vacation, if she wants to bad mouth Carnival for screwing up her trip (the fire was THEIR fault, after all), she certainly is entitled to it, just like you're entitled to come on here and needlessly bash her.

 

News segments like the one on GMA are intended to help people like the OP-- disgruntled customers who think they're being screwed. I've seen way lamer stuff shown on my local news channel.

I'm sure a CCL employee caused the fire on purpose just so they can lose money. :rolleyes:

I've seen lame stuff on my local news station as well.

I didn't say she can't be mad. I find it funny that she wants to go as far as going to GMA. And I'm not an economist but apparently you are??? :confused:

She couldn've been one of those people onboard the Splendor when it caught fire, as my family members were. To not be able to hear from them was very worrisome and to have someone complain over something like THIS is petty.

[missdenman]

Exactly!

 

Uhh, didn't you make that comment? lol :D

[steveNcindy]

I thought this thread was about G'ma

 

Oops :o

[pnjkeith]

Uhh, didn't you make that comment? lol :D

 

Yes and my point was this thread is asinine. What would make some people happy. Give em a free cruise, about as silly as OBAMA or OPRAH helping. :D

[repogirl49]

Okay; I kind of understand what Janet is saying- I have a cruise booked with Carnival in January I have been watching the prices just in case I could get OBC for my ES rate. For weeks the prices have stayed the same and the same rooms were available. Then on Tuesday morning rates still the same/rooms the same that afternoon I checked and the rates were up over $200.00 but there was still the same rooms open. Later people were notified of cruise cancellation rooms started to sell and rates continued to go up even more. So long story short on tuesday morning people with 25% credit could have booked the Spirit and remained even or paid less, now if they are able to book they are paying the 25% Carnival gave them and another 25% out of their own pocket. Not to mention that if they have airfare they will lose that money or pay additional money to fly to a different location. What I think would be fair is that if you were one of the people with the 25% credit you should have been able to book for that rate, and new people calling in for a new booking should have to pay the higher amount for waiting until the last minute to book their cruise.

[Gypsywych]

Is there a button to ask that this whole thread be moderated?

[gaylensgigi]

Maybe OPRAH OR OBAMA could help OP.

 

:D:D:D[[/color][/sI

ZE][/font]

 

oops,never mind

[LRene]

Having your vacation cancelled or interrupted STINKS! However, if you are going to be a traveler, you'd better be flexible and ready to expect the unexpected at any time. And not just once, things will happen a lot if you travel enough.

 

We were on a cancelled cruise once. Only we weren't quite as fortunate as you are because we had no advance notice. We were boarded AND unpacked when the cruise was cancelled. Consequently, we got the same offer you did for that cancellation.

 

I called Carnival while on the ship and all the cruises within driving distance that day or the next or within the next several weeks were 2 to 3 times what we had paid. Supply and demand. There was no time for them to reprice anything due to this cancellation. We NEVER EVER expected them to match the rate we had on the cancelled cruise. I don't think that even crossed our mind. It was a cancellation and a rebooking, plain and simple. It was similar to booking an airline ticket less than 7 days from flying and paying premium price to do so.

 

We drove home, went back to work and saved that vacation for another time AND enjoyed 25% off! Were we disappointed? Yes, tremendously disappointed.

 

However, it took about 5 minutes to realize we were one of the LUCKY ones on that cancelled cruise. We weren't getting married, going on a honeymoon, flying in from Canada or another long distance, celebrating a monumental occassion such as beating cancer or 25 years of marraige. We were just going on vacation. If you look hard enough or care enough, you'll see that there are many others in a worse situation than you are.

 

For our cruise last week on the Miracle - the rate we paid increased 2.5 times on our cabin category at the end. Supply and demand.

 

Hear me when I say I am not discounting your feelings of disappointment or anger at the circumstances. I think your anger is displaced but not unwarranted. Every person who is inconvenienced by the fire has a right to all of those feelings. But they need to be kept in perspective.

 

I'm also not a Carnival cheerleader but I am a realist. Maybe CCL did raise the rate due to supply and demand and maybe they raised it a little more because they had a fire on the Splendor with only 2 ships on the west coast and MAYBE those two things are exactly the same. Unless you're an actuary with a lot of rate history for the Spirit, you will never know.

 

As for going to GMA....my opinion of that is that it was childish, selfish, vindictive, self-serving and just plain ridiculous.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Is there a button to ask that this whole thread be moderated?

 

little red triangle with the exclamation mark in it. There is one in the top right corner of every post.

 

Bill

[alwayshappytocruise]

I just started another thread but this is what I posted, it looks like the price gouging may have come to an end:

 

Howdy,

 

So...having a splendor cruise booked next May I of course have been reading, as time permits, all that I can about the "event" and the related problems everyone has been suffering as a result. I checked on prices for my cruise just a couple of days ago and the price for our cabins (connecting OV cabins on Main Deck, Cat 6C) had jumped to well over $200 per person.

 

Now I just checked again, and the price is back down to the Pre-Fire pricing. I also double checked on a paradise cruise the wife and I were thinking about going on in January and it is also down as well.

 

 

Do you think Carnival got the message that giving people whose cruise was cancelled a %25 discount on a Future Cruise then raising prices by %20 - %25 might not have been the best PR move?

 

Everyone else see that as well?

 

Nope...you got a full refund on the cancelled cruise, a 25% discount off a future cruise. If you had scheduled a "holiday" cruise at a great rate then yes, you will be paying more as are all of us.

Change your plans if that date is so important to you. There ARE other cruise lines available. If you had a holiday cruise booked then you know the prices are going to be higher....my Christmas gift to DH went up in price over $200 pp until I could verify with his Director that he could get the time off.

My bet is that you haven't emailed the contact person at CCL(listed in ALL of the previous "gouging threads" as well as John Heald's blog to see what they will do to make alternate arrangements for you and your family.

[buddylover]

Well, you can certainly think what you want. This is the U.S. afterall. But if you bet money on it you would lose your money. You don't know me, or anything about me so to say I wouldn't be happy if they price protected for a future cruise is just RUDE!

 

I am done explaining myself and defending myself. I stated earlier that if you read this thread and were not affected by the price gouging, you read it looking for drama. Sorry to disappoint you, you are not getting anymore information from me. Read it how you want. And I hope the ignorance you have displayed someday comes back to haunt you.

Go Carnival! Rah Rah Rah!!:p

 

 

jandjfun, you GOOOOO GIRL!!! We are with you all the way. It never ceases to amaze us how unbelievably ignorant the masses can be. If it hasn't affected them, then bash, bash, bash. No understanding or empathy. They shoot their arrows, sling mud on their dreamed up tangents and hang the victim. I have never seen such a lack of empathy as shown on these boards by corporate cheerleaders who are not even involved. Rest assured, Janet, that if they were walking in your shoes they would never have been as kind in their responses to folks like themselves as you have been. Kudos to you, Janet, you DO NOT NEED to defend yourself! Just know that there are loads of real people out there who can see a fact as a fact and agree with you. We wish you the best of luck and hope that Carnival wakes up and does the right thing for its loyal pax....price gouging is unacceptable, and exactly what they did to attempt to recoup their "bottom line".

[buddylover]

And BTW, we are folks that this did not affect, but could not stop reading this nasty misdirected thread and felt the need to speak out. Right is right....read FACTS.......and wrong is wrong.....Carnival can be wrong too!!!! Shame, shame, shame on all the bashers....should your toes be stepped on, just be sure not to cry out loud, poison arrows hurt!

[friedshrimp]

jandjfun, you GOOOOO GIRL!!! We are with you all the way. It never ceases to amaze us how unbelievably ignorant the masses can be. If it hasn't affected them, then bash, bash, bash. No understanding or empathy. They shoot their arrows, sling mud on their dreamed up tangents and hang the victim. I have never seen such a lack of empathy as shown on these boards by corporate cheerleaders who are not even involved. Rest assured, Janet, that if they were walking in your shoes they would never have been as kind in their responses to folks like themselves as you have been. Kudos to you, Janet, you DO NOT NEED to defend yourself! Just know that there are loads of real people out there who can see a fact as a fact and agree with you. We wish you the best of luck and hope that Carnival wakes up and does the right thing for its loyal pax....price gouging is unacceptable, and exactly what they did to attempt to recoup their "bottom line".

 

Wow....someone can't take a cruise they planned on and now they're are a victim! :rolleyes: The audacity of some people. Hold on, I think I have a taller podium for the "victims" to shout from. :( Everyone here has walked in her shoes. Maybe not with a cruise, but with so many other disappointments in life. It's how you get over those disappointments that build character in a person.

[ridge4]

There was no time for them to reprice anything due to this cancellation. We NEVER EVER expected them to match the rate we had on the cancelled cruise. I don't think that even crossed our mind. It was a cancellation and a rebooking, plain and simple. It was similar to booking an airline ticket less than 7 days from flying and paying premium price to do so.

Interesting post, thank you. But your example of purchasing the airline ticket reminded me of why I actually agree with the OP that they should be reaccomodated (if space is available) at their original price. If you purchase an airline ticket, and your flight is cancelled last minute, the airline will work to rebook you an available seat on other flights, even on other airlines if necessary. They do NOT expect you to rebuy the ticket at the going rate. Why then, would this be different?

 

If space were not available, the situation would be different. No one should be displaced by the passengers with cancelled cruises. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. I fully understand supply and demand. But a large part of this demand was caused by a Carnival issue. Would you feel the same way if your airline cancelled several flights between point A and point B due to mechanical issues, then offered to take you on the last flight of the day IF you paid 2-4 times your original fare because of demand?

 

Although this opinion is unpopular here, I think Carnival is really handling this part of the Splendor incident very badly. It's a shame, because they seemed to be doing a great job up to this point. Perhaps a better offer would have been to reaccomodate cancelled cruisers within 2 weeks of their original departure date (if space available) at the original fare paid -OR- 25% off a future cruise outside of that timeframe.

[friedshrimp]

jandjfun, you GOOOOO GIRL!!! We are with you all the way. It never ceases to amaze us how unbelievably ignorant the masses can be. If it hasn't affected them, then bash, bash, bash. No understanding or empathy. They shoot their arrows, sling mud on their dreamed up tangents and hang the victim. I have never seen such a lack of empathy as shown on these boards by corporate cheerleaders who are not even involved. Rest assured, Janet, that if they were walking in your shoes they would never have been as kind in their responses to folks like themselves as you have been. Kudos to you, Janet, you DO NOT NEED to defend yourself! Just know that there are loads of real people out there who can see a fact as a fact and agree with you. We wish you the best of luck and hope that Carnival wakes up and does the right thing for its loyal pax....price gouging is unacceptable, and exactly what they did to attempt to recoup their "bottom line".

 

Maybe all these "loyal pax" that are so mad :mad: at Carnival should show them by taking their cruise dollars elsewhere! :eek: Then we could get some peace and quiet around here! :) ;)

[boaterette]

I did. They showed me 4 cruises that were all more money AND from the East Coast. They didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. When I told them I couldn't afford the air fare to the east coast, they said basically said to bad. So John's big "they really want to help you" statement didn't mean anything. I got the same response from that link that I did when I talked to them the very first day of the cancelations.

 

First of all, you can be asured I will continue bad mouthing Carnival if they don't do the right thing. Absolutely! Just like I would bad mouth any other company that is price gouging!

As far as me booking groups, yes I do that too. But I can also assure you that after the miracle group I have booked, I will not be booking a group with Carnival again. But that has nothing to do with this. It has everything to do with how Carnival screwed the TA's and how Carnival screwed the groups that were booking with Carnival.

 

I am seriously affended by your smart arse remark. I am not asking anyone to give me anything. I am asking that the price gouging be stopped, and the right thing be done by all the people that had to rebook at rediculous prices. If the price gouging had never taken place, we would be booked on a cruise right now, wouldn't have had to cancel the hotel or the plane tickets. And most of all we wouldn't have spent the last 2 days trying to deal with this mess.

 

 

You do know that we live in a free enterprise system. Carnival is free to do whatever they want. If you don't like it you have the freedom of choice to move on over to another cruise line. It is great to live in America.

[friedshrimp]

And BTW, we are folks that this did not affect, but could not stop reading this nasty misdirected thread and felt the need to speak out. Right is right....read FACTS.......and wrong is wrong.....Carnival can be wrong too!!!! Shame, shame, shame on all the bashers....should your toes be stepped on, just be sure not to cry out loud, poison arrows hurt!

 

 

I know I should shoot myself in the head for asking, but what "FACTS"?? :confused:

[picklebongo]

Interesting post, thank you. But your example of purchasing the airline ticket reminded me of why I actually agree with the OP that they should be reaccomodated (if space is available) at their original price. If you purchase an airline ticket, and your flight is cancelled last minute, the airline will work to rebook you an available seat on other flights, even on other airlines if necessary. They do NOT expect you to rebuy the ticket at the going rate. Why then, would this be different?

 

If space were not available, the situation would be different. No one should be displaced by the passengers with cancelled cruises. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. I fully understand supply and demand. But a large part of this demand was caused by a Carnival issue. Would you feel the same way if your airline cancelled several flights between point A and point B due to mechanical issues, then offered to take you on the last flight of the day IF you paid 2-4 times your original fare because of demand?

 

Although this opinion is unpopular here, I think Carnival is really handling this part of the Splendor incident very badly. It's a shame, because they seemed to be doing a great job up to this point. Perhaps a better offer would have been to reaccomodate cancelled cruisers within 2 weeks of their original departure date (if space available) at the original fare paid -OR- 25% off a future cruise outside of that timeframe.

 

Oh my goodness, I read your analogy using the airline and it was simply brilliant. How can anyone not get it after your excellent example?

[missdenman]

Wow....someone can't take a cruise they planned on and now they're are a victim! :rolleyes: The audacity of some people. Hold on, I think I have a taller podium for the "victims" to shout from. :( Everyone here has walked in her shoes. Maybe not with a cruise, but with so many other disappointments in life. It's how you get over those disappointments that build character in a person.

 

Exactly. And if you disagree with them, you're automatically a "cheerleader" (whatever that is cause I've cruised them all and had my share of disappointments on all cruise lines I've sailed on :confused:).

[picklebongo]

You do know that we live in a free enterprise system. Carnival is free to do whatever they want. If you don't like it you have the freedom of choice to move on over to another cruise line. It is great to live in America.

 

 

I can't believe you're saying this, Carnival has the right to do whatever they want. Are you telling me it's ok with you that you book and pay for a cruise with your hard earned money, they decide to cancel the cruise and keep your funds and you're ok with that? Do whatever they want, eh?

[alwayshappytocruise]

I thought this thread was about G'ma

 

Oops :o

 

Kinda, sorta missing her posts these days........Hey I have an idea. Is booze smuggling allowed on cruise ships? That'll get her and the "cakebaker" all fired up.

This topic is getting really boring, and yes some of us were on the Splendor on that "Cruise to nowhere" and some of us had B2B's planned with friends and families. We are NOT the one's whining............get over it, please. Price Gouging my a$$.

My surprise Christmas cruise to DH went price wise from the low end to the high end in the past 2 weeks as I couldn't book it until his Director assured me that DH could take the time off. I am now paying $200pp more than I would have 5 days ago had I got the OK.

I will tell you all in the "Gouging" camp, you all had my empathy until these recenft rants. Have you not got a clue about making adjustments......being a traveller not a tourist....??

[kansas kruiser]

:cool:H'mm??:rolleyes: GMA couldn't find any real victim's of the Dreaded Spelendor Fire Cruise!! But they may have found some now???:( I can only think your Group Cruise is gonna be a CCL bashing!!:o

[eileen11]

I did...I am taking my money from the Splendor and booked NYE on the NCL Star and also cancelled my Carnival trip for Feb. and booked the NCL Spirit.

 

I only wish Carnival had let us take a room on the Spirit at the same daily rate that we had on the Splendor. When we were bumped from a flight, we not only got on the next available, but they upgraded us for the inconvenience. I'm not expecting Carnival to upgrade,,,just give the same daily rate that we paid for in FULL!

[missdenman]

Interesting post, thank you. But your example of purchasing the airline ticket reminded me of why I actually agree with the OP that they should be reaccomodated (if space is available) at their original price. If you purchase an airline ticket, and your flight is cancelled last minute, the airline will work to rebook you an available seat on other flights, even on other airlines if necessary. They do NOT expect you to rebuy the ticket at the going rate. Why then, would this be different?

 

If space were not available, the situation would be different. No one should be displaced by the passengers with cancelled cruises. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. I fully understand supply and demand. But a large part of this demand was caused by a Carnival issue. Would you feel the same way if your airline cancelled several flights between point A and point B due to mechanical issues, then offered to take you on the last flight of the day IF you paid 2-4 times your original fare because of demand?

 

Although this opinion is unpopular here, I think Carnival is really handling this part of the Splendor incident very badly. It's a shame, because they seemed to be doing a great job up to this point. Perhaps a better offer would have been to reaccomodate cancelled cruisers within 2 weeks of their original departure date (if space available) at the original fare paid -OR- 25% off a future cruise outside of that timeframe.

It's not the same because a cruise line is a cruise line and the Airlines are the Airlines. Different policies. The airlines can always put you on the next flight. Once that ship has sailed there's no other ship coming behind it. That's it.

 

(random thought) I never understood how people will pay high airline prices and change fees and not complain yet a cruise line charges changes fees/penalties and it's a problem. :confused: